Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome

I never really understood the ardent love for the first Mad Max film. To me, it was simply a revenge-action flick, with lots of speed and violence. Oh, don't get me wrong. I liked it enough, but the real attraction was sealed by the two sequels, when it became more of a post-apocalyptic, survivalist tale, with all of those those motifs. And, of course, the first one was a unique revenge tale. What really drove it was that Max was driven to outrage over what was done to his family, and with that as his motivation, it's something we can all identify with on a gut level. The trauma of that initial event is carried over into the next two films, leaving Max alienated, and rightfully distrustful of everyone. Max represents idealism in a savage land.For some reason, though,  Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome  did not get the love it deserved from the hardcore fans. This puts me at odds with them. BEYOND THUNDERDOME was the only Mad Max film I saw at the theaters, though I had seen the other two by that time on premium movie channels, and I liked them enough to want to see this one on a big screen. Later, with an acquaintance, I was discussing the film, and this acquaintance was one of those hardcore fans of the other two. He flat-out didn't like it. Why, is a mystery to me, but I've heard the complaint repeated countless times on the internet. Each time I read such an opinion, I get a little annoyed, because it shows a lack of appreciation for the nuances in the story, for the effort that went into it. These fans seem to prefer big, loud action pieces, and the story is irrelevant. What worries me is that filmmakers who want to bring depth and dimension to a story are greeted with ridiculous criticisms. When you look at the dumbed-down quality of many mainstream films, you can point to such opinions for the reason of the success of those films. One person wrote as an accusation of sorts that the third movie was the most COMMERCIAL of the three. Really? All three were very commercial films, in that they centered around action and car chases and violence. I'm not complaining about the tone of the films, but, come on, if you're going to have an opinion, think it through. The only difference between this movie and the other two was that, by the time this one was made, Mad Max had achieved iconic status, like Clint Eastwood's MAN WITH NO NAME in the 60s, and the studios were now confident enough of a return to sink big money into it. And with that bigger budget, George Miller wanted to broaden the themes of the franchise, to give it appeal on different levels. All of the trademark Mad Max elements were still present, but there was something more, too, going on. Instead of embracing the filmmakers for giving the audience credit as intelligent enough to enjoy something other than a retread of the same attitudes, those hardcore fans rejected it, despite the fact that these more thoughtful elements took nothing away from what would normally appeal to them. It's baffling.This movie even starts out with a bang. As the film opens, we crank up with an ass-kicking theme song by Tina Turner, "One of the Living," with slamming guitars supporting a survivalist credo. As the vocals fade, the black screen opens up to an aerial view of a desert, and soft soaring from above, and the distant sound of a plane, which erupts suddenly, when Max is knocked off of his wagon. The action has started already. The soundtrack by Maurice Jarre adds a visceral component throughout the film. Later, Max's entrance into Bartertown is accompanied by a theme dominated by a strong percussion, most of it sounding like hammers on anvils, supporting the motif of a civilization knocked back into the Iron Age. The music blends so perfectly, you really unconsciously absorb it as part of the sounds from the actual environment, as if there really are men pounding metal into elemental shapes. It's a seamless use of music, serving as a sound effect as well as a theme.Later the music stands out again, when Max is out at night and the nightlife of Bartertown is in full swing. The images are accompanied by a jaunty jazz saxophone. Again, it suggests that the streets are bustling with a wild party, and that the source of the music is some live band. Again the music takes its place in the scene, not as part of a soundtrack heard only by the audience, but something that's coming from the scene itself. The song also adds an atmosphere of an unrestrained tribal gathering, letting go completely after rediscovering amplified music, a vestige of civilization that's been hijacked to celebrate wildness. Again, the music is artfully intertwined into the scene, becoming integral to it.Aside from the great music, great dialogue is sprinkled throughout the film. Some of it is almost lyrical, a poetry of bleakness. The best example is when Max meets Aunty Entity, in her quiet aerie, for the first time. She asks him what he was before the apocalypse. He replies that he had been a cop, and to further clarify, he adds "A driver." She replies wryly, "Well, how the world turns. One day, cock of the walk; next, a feather duster." Then, to further mock his fall, she instructs the man playing a saxophone, "Play something, Ton Ton. Something . . . tragic." Then she tells her story, of a little girl whose lowly, grinding existence was transformed, her self-worth unarguably established by the plain hard fact of her dominance.The scene that really did it for me, that made me see that much more had gone into this film than the two previous installments, was when Max was dragged off the desert by Savanah Nix. Later, Max is unconscious and surrounded by the tribe of children. His body is covered in fine white dust, which puts him in stark contrast with the rest of the composition. This tableau was an allusion to a classic painting of Jesus, in death, surrounded by apostles, in which Jesus' body was much lighter in tone than the rest of the figures. I must be one of only a handful of people who caught the reference, and the only reason I did was because, at one time, I collected art books, and had seen this painting. The name of the painting and the artist eludes me now, but I know, beyond a doubt, in context of the theme of the film, the arrangement and color scheme was intentional. This was a movie aiming at a higher aesthetic than the previous films, and it's a pity that people can't fully comprehend what was done here, and what it did for the film. As for the rest, the action, it's all there, and good use was made of the larger budget. It's easily the best of the three, trumping what made the previous installments what they were.To date, I've seen this movie at least fifteen times. Appreciating it as I do, I had to spring for the BD edition. If you like this movie and are wondering about the BD, I'm here to tell you that it's worth the upgrade. It's a very good transfer, with rich, deep colors, and the fine film grain was preserved, lending it the cinematic quality. There's been some clean up, but not at the expense of detail. Sadly there are no extra features, except for a trailer; no commentary, no behind-the-scenes footage or photos; nothing else but that trailer. Still, I found it worth every penny. Not only that, the DVD did not upscale very well to my HDTV, and if I wanted to enjoy this movie in the future, this was the only option. To anyone who likes this movie, the upgrade is almost necessary.And it definitely deserves more affection than it gets from those hardcore fans. I'll argue that point until the end of civilization.______________________________________________________________________

I had to catch reemerge myself in the Wasteland atmosphere again before I watched d the new ones. It is a classic. A Really fun watch

Good movie, Don't forget to rewind before returning

Post-apocalyptic futures are interesting, but why does it have to be weird?

Good overall. Road Warrior is the best of this franchise, but this one is good.

Tina makes this movie. I love it for her.

Hilarious movie

The storyline was boring.

tres bon merci 🥳🥳

L'edizione è una semplice amaray. Il video presenta molta grana ma accettabile, l'audio italiano è un Dolby Digital 2.0. Grazie!

Buen producto y duradero y fácil de usar

Great DVD albeit 2nd hand. A little worried as the box is printed in a foreign language, so I have no idea what it says, but the disc is alright and jolly good entertainment.

Imperdibile un. Must !!! Gran bel DVD